Victoria Bossong, of Cumberland, a junior at Harvard, celebrates after winning the Ivy League indoor 500-meter championship with a record-setting time in February of 2024. Courtesy Harvard Athletics
It didn’t take long for Victoria Bossong to go from a good Ivy League competitor to one of the best 800-meter runners in NCAA Division I.
And it might not be much longer before the Cheverus High graduate, now in her junior year at Harvard, qualifies for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Bossong, who grew up in Cumberland, hopes to do so as a member of the Philippine national team.
“My mom is from the Philippines. I’m half-Filipino,” she said. “My mom’s side of the family kind of raised me, and I’ve always been surrounded by aunts.”
To get to Paris, Bossong must apply for dual citizenship. As for her times on the track, she needs to get a little faster but otherwise is in a good place.
She ran the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 0.92 seconds at the Pepsi Florida Relays in late March. At the time, it was the fastest time by any NCAA Division I runner this season. It’s currently the fourth-fastest time.
Bossong is also oh-so-close to the Olympic entry standard of 1:59.30.
Her time at the Florida Relays easily surpassed the Philippine national record of 2:13.44.
“We call her our bulldog,” said Bo Navarro, who runs Fil-Am sports, a consulting group that provides support for Filipino-American athletes. “She’s going to chase down what she wants.”
Navarro said he hopes Bossong will be able to try for the Olympic qualifying mark in the 800 at the Philippine Athletics Championships, which are May 8-12 at the PhilSports Track Oval in Pasig.
To do that, Bossong will need to obtain dual citizenship and a Philippines passport.
That process, Navarro said, is well under way.
“We are assisting Victoria in getting her the passport,” he said. “You have to go through a couple of doors to do this. One, you have to be able to prove your lineage heritage. You get scrutinized by the Department of Justice in the Philippines, as well as the Bureau of Immigration. It’s a process.”
Bossong’s mother, Dr. Catalina Atienza, is a dentist in Portland. She was born, raised and educated in the Philippines.
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In a thrilling race, Victoria Bossong won the 800m at the Pepsi Florida Relays, posting the fastest time in the nation this season (2:00.92)⚡️#GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/yBVRlTO1Ye
— Harvard T&F | XC (@HarvardTFXC) April 1, 2024
Bossong said she has often visited the Philippines and has long felt a deep connection to the country, its people and her family’s heritage.
“We’re trying to get my name out there and trying to push the process along,” she said.
Bossong would need an invite to compete at the U.S. Olympic trials on June 21 in Eugene, Oregon. USA Track and Field set an automatic qualifying standard in the 800 at 2:00.5. Bossong is less than half a second off that mark. The minimum qualifying standard time in the 800 at the U.S. Olympic trials is 2:03.
Bossong said she first began to think about the possibility of competing for the Philippines while she was setting numerous state records in track and field in Maine. She owns Class A outdoor state meet records in the 100 (11.73 seconds), 400 (55.08), and 800 (2:10.66), and also set the Class A indoor record in the 400 (56.95).
“I’ve always wanted to (compete in the Olympics) ever since track became a big part of my life,” Bossong said. “I always thought my junior year in college, the 2024 Olympics, would be perfect. If it doesn’t happen this year, then 2028 would definitely be a possibility. It would be a lot easier to go this year because my goal is to go to medical school.”
Should Bossong gain dual citizenship, which could happen as soon as a week or so, she will still need to shave 1.6 seconds off her 800 time.
She’s confident that can happen.
“I definitely feel I’ve had a breakthrough in the 800,” Bossong said. “It’s crazy the difference a year can make.”
Cheverus’ Victoria Bossong heads to the finish line in the 800-meter run during the 2021 Class A track and field championships at Massabesic High in Waldoboro. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer, file
Embracing the 800 as her event has helped. She admits she previously shied away from that distance. In high school, she rarely ran it, instead favoring the 400.
As a senior in 2021, Bossong memorably tried to win the 100, 200, 400 and 800 at the Class A meet on a warm June day at Massabesic High in Waterboro.
She easily won the 100 and 400, setting meet records.
The 800 was next, and she overwhelmed a strong field. She beat 2020 champ Mia-Claire Kezal of Thornton Academy (now running for the Naval Academy) by six seconds and 2022 champ Delaney Hesler of Bonny Eagle (now at New Hampshire) by eight seconds. She shattered the 1997 meet record of 2:15.60 set in 1997 by Biddeford’s Briana Neault, lowering it by almost five seconds.
In the 200, though, Bangor sophomore Anna Connors, who is now running for the University of Connecticut, beat a noticeably tired Bossong.
“My college coach, (Kebba) Tolbert, kind of surprised me that day and was at that meet. He had dinner with my family, and he said the event I would shine in in college was the 800,” Bossong v.
As she goes through the dual citizenship process, Bossong also has a busy spring ahead.
She intends to reclaim her 400 title at the Ivy League championships. And she is aiming for a top-12 finish in the 800 at a qualifying meet for the NCAA championships, which are June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.
“I’ll be focusing on nationals, and the biggest goal will be to win the 800 at the NCAAs,” Bossong said. “Big goals are better than smaller ones.”
Interim sports editor Bill Stewart contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: This story was updated at 7 a.m. Monday, April 29, 2024, to correct an error. Mia-Claire Kezal runs for the Naval Academy.
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